Tali dances to the beat of her own drum

Tasteful dance tunes and a new poppy chip off the old block of Finns offer rich pickings for Alex Behan’s trawl of new musical releases.

Tali is not a big fan of glass ceilings. Taranaki-raised, the passionate but the unproven artist manifested her big break when an impromptu, a cappella performance in front of her hero, Roni Size, led to a pioneering partnership.

This was Melbourne, 2001, when Size and his Full Cycle crew were the deadliest drumand-bass collective on the planet. Subsequent collaborations yielded UK chart success for Tali, international bookings exploded and she spent years touring the globe, whipping crowds into frenzies and blazing trails.

Later, she dabbled in jazz and hip-hop and, since returning home to Aotearoa, has spread her wings even further, writing for the screen and publishing a novel in 2018.

A prominent female figure in a historically male-heavy industry, she’s a vocal advocate for gender equality in live music in

Aotearoa and has evolved into a natural spokesperson for safe spaces in the dance music community.

Now, after years of letting boys make her beats, Tali is producing her own drum-and-bass music for the first time. The result is Future Dwellers, a tasteful vintage of tunes that don’t rush their sonic world-building and are all the richer for it.

Instrumental mood setter Mansion goes deep, fast, as airy arpeggios give way to hyperactive hi-hats and rimshots that reverberate in the chest. Starcrossed plays a straight bat next, by cultivating a customary drum-and-bass break, broad enough to easily drop into any DJ set, elevated by a haunting melody courtesy of local troubadour Luca George.

The rising star has never sung on music like this before, hadn’t even considered it, but Tali, who mentors young musicians and has a keen eye for upcoming talent, matches him perfectly with her bulletproof beat.

Her knack for networking doesn’t stop there. South Island singer Jaz Paterson sounds right at home on Back 2 Before and INF from Onehunga crew SWIDT graces Cause & Effect with a sly, subversive hook. Also, it is a savvy move to keep one international connection on the record – the life-affirming My Remedy featuring British vocalist Ruth Royall will help connect dots for current drum-and-bass crowds sweating out the summer in Europe.

Harper Finn won best newcomer at the Aotearoa Music Awards last year, largely off the back of his tremendous track Dance These Days Away. He’s in his early

20s, plays a multitude of musical instruments and sports the same good looks his father Tim (formerly of Split Enz) used to seduce audiences when he was in his 20s.

Finn’s been dribbling out bits and pieces the past few years, but Newcomer marks his first official EP and gathers up his best work so far in one convenient package. It showcases a broad range of ability, a flamboyant fluidity in song craft, and an alluring voice with infinite potential.

Conversations (With The Moon) is a delicate standout, with nimble transitions and distinct, minor, piano progression. Dance These Days Away itself is the most excellent, elegant, dark drama delivered with an edgy, 80s aesthetic which might remind you of A-ha or The Weeknd – depending on which age bracket you tick.

Different Skies is a slick, straight-up, one-plus-one pop song that will hit home for much of his audience, but, for me, it’s even more intriguing when he leans into his more esoteric tendencies.

Can you tell he’s a Finn without looking?

You’d be hard-pressed to guess, if you didn’t already know. Once you do, you might hear snippets of ‘‘Finnisms’’ emerge through his work, but you could equally root around and find elements of Talk Talk, Ed Harcourt, or Harry Styles for that matter.

Although the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Harper Finn is well and truly branching out in his own direction.